Inside story: Richard Hammond's Smallest Cog resto business gears up for bikes

Published: 23 November 2023

What on earth is Richard Hammond doing with that beautiful Interceptor? It’s a fair question, if all you know about him is that he has two other famous friends and does a lot of silly things in cars.

But bikes came first in his life, and they’re an enduring obsession. He restored a barn at home just to house his collection, and formed his own local biker gang as an excuse to ride more often.

Cars are work, bikes are his soul food. And now he’s doing exactly what the Ghostbusters said you mustn’t: he’s crossing the streams, and opening up his restoration business – The Smallest Cog – to bikes…

By Richard Newland

Group Editor - With over 40 years of riding experience and 21 years as a bike journalist, Rich has ridden nearly every new bike of the past two decades and many historical models dating back to the 1930s. He is particularly passionate about sportsbikes from the 1990s and early 2000s, and he loves big bikes that handle well and are suited for long-distance travel. Rich enjoys challenging rides, such as a non-stop 1703.5-mile trip from Land’s End to John O’Groats and back. In his personal collection, Rich owns a 2007 Honda VTR1000 SP-2, a 1998 Ducati 996, a 1986 Suzuki GSX-R750 ‘Slabby’, a 1998 VFR800FiW, and a 1975 Honda CB750 SOHC Dunstall.